The Book:
Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald
Published February 4th 2020 by Gallery Books
Date read: April 7, 2021
The Characters:
Eva
Her mother Kat
Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon
The Plot (from Goodreads):
Eva Hansen wakes in the hospital after being struck by lightning and discovers her mother, Kat, has been murdered. Eva was found unconscious down the street. She can’t remember what happened but the police are highly suspicious of her.
Determined to clear her name, Eva heads from Seattle to London—Kat’s former home—for answers. But as she unravels her mother’s carefully held secrets, Eva soon realizes that someone doesn’t want her to know the truth. And with violent memories beginning to emerge, Eva doesn’t know who to trust. Least of all herself.
Told in alternating perspectives from Eva’s search for answers and Kat’s mysterious past, Christina McDonald has crafted another “complex, emotionally intense” (Publishers Weekly) domestic thriller. Behind Every Lie explores the complicated nature of mother-daughter relationships, family trauma, and the danger behind long-held secrets.
The Twist:
Kat’s husband Sebastian was abusive. When their daughter Eva passed away in a tragic accident, Sebastian put a hit out on Kat’s friend Rose and her daughter Laura (the accident had occurred at Rose’s house). Rose and Kat made a plan to run away together, but Rose disappeared before they could. Kat took Laura, changed her name to Eva, and ran away to the US. Rose faked her and Laura’s death to get Seb off their trail, and later found Kat and Eva in Seattle.
Seb finally found Kat through a news story about her. He showed up to get her to tell him where Rose was, but Kat admitted that she was responsible for the original Eva’s death. Seb tried to kill her instead, but Laura/Eva showed up and killed him. Her fiance was there and tried to cover up what really happened.
Eva’s fiance was the man who raped her.
The Review:
I am a huge fan of Christina McDonald. This author’s previous book, The Night Olivia Fell, is one of my all-time favorites, and I absolutely loved her newest book Do No Harm as well.
Behind Every Lie tells the story of Eve, who wakes up in the hospital after being struck by lightning not far from her mother’s house. Her mother has been murdered, and Eve is the main suspect. Eve has no recollection of the night in question and must uncover the truth to clear her name.
While it didn’t top Christina’s other two books for me, this fast-paced thriller grabbed my attention and the pages turned quickly. The POV alternated between Eve’s perspective in the present and her mother’s story in the past. I had my suspicions, and was eager to get to the end to see if I was right.
Avid thriller readers may be able to guess the twists, but the story is still engaging and enjoyable. I have now read and loved all of Christina’s thrillers!
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